RT Journal
A1 Kolb LC
T1 CLinical evaluation of prefrontal lobotomy
JF Journal of the American Medical Association
JO Journal of the American Medical Association
YR 1953
FD July 18
VO 152
IS 12
SP 1085
OP 1089
DO 10.1001/jama.1953.03690120001001
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.1953.03690120001001
AB A survey made by the National Institute of Mental Health indicates that by the end of 1949 about 10,000 persons in the United States had undergone lobotomy or some form of surgical ablation of the frontal lobes of the brain for mental illness. The number of operations of this type had increased annually during each of the five preceding years. Thus, the interest in lobotomy has gained momentum since the procedure was introduced by Egas Moniz late in 1935.The extensive surgical, anatomic, physiological and psychological studies that have emanated from the investigation of patients treated by this method have led to the collection of considerable new knowledge in regard to the functions of the frontal lobe and also have made apparent many deficiencies in that knowledge; for example, the majority of psychological techniques in use at present in the study of such patients are incapable of yielding information about